Advent: Hope

Nov 25

Many believe that our world sits in “darkness and the shadow of death.” Church attendance is at an all-time low, while the religiously unaffiliated (the “nones”) continue to grow. A lack of indifference permeates our society, where God seems to be removed from the marketplace. Enter hope, a powerful gift during the tough times of our lives.

Fortunately, in the darkness of our lives, Christ is present, giving us the gift of hope. In our longing and seeking, we find others similarly situated. Questioning allows us to be alive to “live” the questions daily. We accompany one another, and as Pema Chodron exhorts, we have compassion for what people carry as opposed to how they carry it. We see the image and likeness of God in others. In them, we see ourselves, and joy invades the moment, for we have a bond. Hope and compassion await us!

In Advent, we prepare for “the light that shines in the darkness and the darkness that cannot overcome it” (John 1:5). In darkness, we search with hope as our light. In Surprised by Hope: Further Meditations on Synodality, Timothy Cardinal Radcliff reflects on John’s four Resurrection appearances, which all occur in the dark.

Mary comes to the tomb Easter morn while it is still dark and cannot recognize Christ until he calls her by name. This brings her to an encounter, an invitation to a relationship, to be in the presence of Christ. It propels her to be a missionary disciple. Mary’s tender love needs to be purified and healed (“don’t hold on to me” Jn 20:17). The realization that she cannot possess Christ liberates her love for God from exclusivity, so she can witness and share it with others. Her mission is to name the God (Rabbouni) who looks for us in the dark. Hope impels us to name our darkness and hear God calling us by name to an intimate encounter, a bond of love.

While we fully recognise and adore the “real presence” in the monstrance at Benediction, we can equally and powerfully sense this very same, real presence in the darkness or the shadows of our lives that we try to hide from others, our sinfulness, hurts, addictions, pain, and ugliness. Here, Christ is fully present without judgment or condemnation to love, heal, and smile.

This is the hope to live the present moment well, like never before. This is the time to make real St. Irenaeus’ insight: “the glory of God is the human person fully alive.” The Holy Spirit invades us and rejoices with the Christ that is alive within us to the point where “we still live our human lives but it is a life of Christ living within us” (Galatians 2:20) where hopefully “our heart beats in rhythm with Christ’s” (Fr. Brisson’s hope for Oblates) such that all hear just one heartbeat. Extraordinary hope!

In the darkness of the upper room filled with disciples gripped by fear, with all sense of hope vanished, Christ makes his presence known. His gift of peace in place of condemnation invites them to a shared ministry of forgiving sins and baptizing all into Christ’s life and death. Hope in the presence of wounds.

When the apostles, many trained fishermen, find themselves empty handed having caught nothing in the darkness of night, Christ is waiting for them, as a “stranger on the beach” to give them a new direction, a new life, a new hope (to cast their nets to the other side), so they can go duc et altum (into the deep waters) to become fishers of men, hope leading to faith, taking risks, and growing spiritually.

Next in John’s Gospel, Peter, perhaps still in the darkness of his thrice denial, meets with Jesus who thrice asks him if he loves him, giving him hope and rehabilitating him to tend and feed his sheep as he leads the apostles to instantiate the Church. There is no talk about the failure of the past (no excuse or explanation wanted), just the offer of love in the present! Hope leading to mission.

In our personal darkness, Christ shows up, was always there, never left, loving, healing, forgiving, gifting us hope to be his presence, to Live Jesus, to be light in darkness. May our light shine this Advent brightly! Fortifying Hope. Vivifying Hope.